Peasants Crossing a Stream

c. 1670

Peasants Crossing a Stream, c. 1670. Jan Siberechts (Flemish, 1627-c. 1703). Oil on canvas; framed: 119 x 143 x 9 cm (46 7/8 x 56 5/16 x 3 9/16 in.); unframed: 99.7 x 122.5 cm (39 1/4 x 48 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1969.18 The painting is characteristic of Jan Siberechts's Antwerp style, characterized by scenes with fords through which peasants wade with their cattle. The peasants wear simple but brightly colored attire and stand out against the cool green landscape. Flanked by overgrown foliage, the silver hues of the still stream shimmer with reflections. Over the course of his career, which included moving to London in 1672, Siberechts continued to use many of the same figures in his paintings, including Flemish peasant women carrying jugs, like the one seen in this painting. Likewise, his approaches to depicting animals, such as the cows seen here, changed very little over time and are ubiquitous throughout his oeuvre.